Down hole pumps are used for extracting various resources including oil and gas. There are many different types of down hole pumps with strengths and weaknesses found in each design. Some of these pump designs include rod pumps and tubing pumps. A cage at the top of the tube or plunger is used to actuate so that fluid may be extracted every cycle.
One such cage is referred to as a top open cage. The top open cage includes large slots running down the side of the cage so that the resource can flow through the cage to a collector up stream. However, these large slots compromise the structure of the cage and may result in breaking the cage. These failures create a financial and time intensive burden on the operator of the pump. The top open cage is also extremely difficult to extract from the down hole when the structure of the cage has been compromised, creating additional hardships for the operator.
Internal to the cage is a ball and seat. The ball is pushed to the top of an internal portion of the cage by the flow of the resource on the downstroke, or alternatively falls to the seat on the up stroke and is held in place by the hydrostatic pressure of the tubing, thus blocking any further flow through the cage. As the pump travels in each direction, the ball is transitioned between the two states. However, with the large side slots, the ball receives many opposing forces and spins and bounces as it travels, resulting in a loss of efficiency.
Lastly, the ball does not set smoothly at the top of the inside of the cage because the top is a flat surface and the ball continues to move and disrupt the flow of resources. A solution to improve efficiency and increase structural integrity is required to maximize extraction of resources for every stroke of the pump.